Sand-reel for well-drilling rigs.



J. A. MoDONALD.

SAND REEL FOR WELL DRILLING RIGS.

APPLIOATION FILED MAR.17, 1913. 1,099,991. Patented June 16, 1914.

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wumtoz J. A. MODONALD.

SAND RBELFOR WELL DRILLING mes.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 17, 1913. 1 099,991. Patented June 16,1914.

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COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH C0 WASHINGTON, n, c.

JOHN A. MCDONALD, OF CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA.

SAND-REEL FOR WELL-DRILLING- RIGS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 16, 1914.

Application filed March 17, 19-13. Serial N 0. 354,965.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J OHN A. MoDoNALn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Glarksburg, in the county of Harrison and State of West Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sand- Reels for Well-Drilling Rigs, of which the following is a specification. I

My invention relates to well drillingapparatus and more particularly to an lIOIl sand reel adapted for use with a standard rig such as is ordinarily employed in drllling oil, gas or Artesian wells.

The principal object of my invention is the provision of a combined friction wheel and brake wheel, formed of metal, which replaces both the friction wheel and brake wheel as usually employed. And a still further object of my invention is the provision of a novel and improved form of spooling device for use upon the body of the reel.

With these and other objects in view, my invention will be more fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and then specifically pointed out in the claims which are attached to and form a part of this application.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a fragmentary top plan View of a standard rigshowing my improved sand reel in place wlth the combined friction and brake wheel and the spooling devicesmounted thereon; Fig. 2 is a fragmentary side elevation of the structure shown in Fig. 1, the knuckle post and the swing bearings for the adjacent end of the sand reel being omitted to permit the more clear showing of the combined friction and brake wheel; Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the sand reel removed from its bearings; Fig. 4 is an end view of one of the spooling devices used upon the sand reel.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and indicated in all the views of the drawings by the same reference characters.

In order to insure a clear understanding of certain details in the operation of the sand reel which necessitate certain peculiarities in construction I have shown the same, as in use, in connection with adjacent portions of a conventional drill rig. The portions of drill rig illustrated in the drawings include spaced apart mud sills 10 and 11 supporting a main sill 12, sub-sill 13 and a sand reel tail sill 14. Front and rear jack posts 15 and 16 carry upon their upper ends bearings 17 and 18 in which is j ournaled the band wheel shaft 19 carrying the band wheel 20 and tug rope wheel 21, the rear end of the shaft extending through the bearing 18 and terminating in a crank arm 22 which connects with the beam operating pitman, not shown. This band wheel is driven by a belt 23 which passes about the band wheel and about the pulley of an engine shaft, not shown.

A knuckle post 24 supports a bearing 25 for a swing lever bearing 26 which forms a journal for one end of the sand reel, indicated as a whole by the numeral 27 and the opposite end of which is j ournaled in a bearing 28 supported by a tail post 29 mounted upon the sand reel tail sill. A connecting rod 30 is connected by one end to the free end of the swing lever bearing and by its opposite end to an operating lever, not shown.

As clearly shown in Fig. l of the drawings, the knuckle post and tail post are so located that the sand reel 27 extends at an angle to the shaft 19, the object of this being to bring the spooling end of the sand reel at right angles to the direction of the sand line which is to be wound thereon as it comes from the pulley sheave of the derrick, the derrick according to the usual custom, being centered upon the main sill 12.

Secured upon the sand reel 27 in position to frictionally engage the peripheral face of the band wheel 20, is a combined friction and brake wheel, indicated as a whole by the numeral 31. Thi combined friction and brake wheel is preferably formed of iron and is cast in two symmetrical portions which permit the ready clamping of the wheel upon the proper portion of the reel by bolts 32 passed through engaging ears 33 of the hub portion and similar ears 34 of the body portion. The peripheral face of this wheel is inclined or beveled axially and is also concaved circumferentially as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 3 of the drawings. The reason for the peculiar shaping or formation of the wheel face will be apparent from a consideration of Fig. 1 of the drawings, the face being inclined or beveled axially to compensate for the angle between the shaft of the band wheel and the axis of the sand reel, while it is concaved to correspond to the convexity of the peripheral face of the band wheel 20 in order to afford as great a frictional bearing between the band wheel and friction wheel as possible. The peripheral face of the band wheel is formed convexly as shown for the reason that said band wheel also acts as a pulley.

A brake post 35 supported bya cross sill 36 carries a brake band or other suitable brake element 37 in position to engage the peripheral face of the friction and brake Wheel 31 when the. latter is swung out of engagement with the band wheel 20. The winding and unwinding of the sand line upon the reel is governed by swinging the sand reel, through the medium of the swing lever, to move the wheel 31 into engagement with the band wheel 20 to drive the sand reel or in the opposite direction into engagement with the brake band to stop rotation of the sand reel.

The sand reel proper may be constructed of wood or metal and may be solid or tubular. I prefer however, to construct the body of iron in the form of a tube having its ends closed by gudgeon plates, the gude'ons of which are journaled in the bearings 25 and 28.

That portion of the sand reel between the friction and brake wheel and the tail post is provided with a plurality of spaced spooling devices 38 preferably three in number and dividing the reel into two sections or spools, the outer section forming the working spool upon which the sand line is wound or from which it is unwound, while the other section forms a spool for the reverse or surplus line or wire, the line or wire passing from one spool to the other between adjacent arms of the intermediate spooling device, as is usual, to permit the use of a single continuous wire as the sand line. Each of the spooling devices, as best illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4 of the drawings, is formed from a single strip of metal, preferably relatively heavy iron, one end portion of which is wrapped approximately four-fifths of the Way about the reel body and then extended in spaced relation to the adjacent portion of the body of the strip. The body of the strip is then wound reversely about the reel being looped outwardly at regular intervals to form spaced arms 39 and in each instance, returning to the inner winding of the end portion of the strip and being riveted thereto as shown at 40, the opposite end of the strip being finally secured to the outer face of the first formed loop opposite the first mentioned end as shown at 41. It will therefore be apparent that the central portion or reel engaging ring of the spooling device is formed integrally with the arms which extend radially therefrom and that the arms are braced through their connection with this'ring. The side portions of that arm to which the ends of the strip arev fastened are provided with alined perfora tions to receive a clamp bolt 42 having a nut 43 and it will be apparent that by proper tightening of the nut upon this bolt the inner ring or body portion of the spooling device may be tightly bound about the body of the sand reel to secure the spooling device in proper posit-ion. A pyramidal shaped cap or button 44 is secured upon the free end of each of the arms to serve as a parting for the line during winding of the same upon the spool. These caps are preferably formed of cast iron and are secured in place by bolts or rivets 45.

The operation of my improved sand reel is identical with that of sand reels of the usual type and no description of the same is therefore necessary.

It will be apparent that I have provided an extremely efiective and durable form of sand reel construction and that the spooling devices for the sand reel are so formed that they may be readily loosened upon the reel and moved to any desired portion thereof and again secured in place. Furthermore, these spooling devices are extremely economical in manufacture in that they are formed each from a single strip of metal bent into shape and with its adjacent portions properly riveted to each other.

Having thus described the invention, What is claimed as new is:

1. In a drilling rig, a sand reel and spooling devices fixed to the sand reel at spaced intervals, each of said devices including a plurality of loops concentrically arranged about and extending radially from the reel, itnd. a cap fixed upon the outer end of each oop.

2. In a drilling rig, a sand reel, and a spooling device for said reel formed from a single strip of metal and including a plurality of loops concentrically arranged about and extending radially from the reel, and a pyramidal cap secured upon the outer end of each loop.

3. In a drilling rig, a sand reel, and a spooling device carried by the sand reel and formed from a single strip of metal, one end of the strip being bent approximately four-fifths of the way about the reel and then extended in parallel spaced relation to the body portion, the body portion being bent reversely about the reel and looped outwardly at regular intervals to form arms, said body portion in each instance returning to the inner winding of the end portion and being secured thereto, the free end of the strip being secured to the first formed loop at a point opposite the first mentioned end, and clamping means co-acting with the sides of the first formed loop to clamp the device about the sand reel.

4. In a drilling rig, a sand reel and a spooling device for the sand reel formed from a single strip of metal bent to provide an inner open ring adapted for clamping engagement about the sand reel and a plurality of radially extending loops secured by their inner portions to the inner ring. r

5. A spooling device for sand reels formed from a strip of metal bent to provide a clamp ring for engagement with the reel and a plurality of loop forming radially extending arms.

6. In a drilling rig, a sand reel, and a spooling device formed from a single strip of metal bent at one end partially about the reel and having its opposite end re versely bent about the reel and looped outwardly to form spaced arms, the portions of the strip between the arms being secured to the end bent about the reel.

7. In a drilling rig, a sand reel, and a spooling device formed from a single strip of metal bent at one end partially about the reel and having its opposite end reversely bent about the reel and looped outwardly to form spaced arms, the portions of the strip between the arms being secured to the end bent about the reel, and means engaging through the free ends of the strip for clamping the device to the reel.

8. A spooling device formed from a single strip of metal bent at one end to form an open clamping ring and having its opposite end sinuously bent about and secured to the clamping ring so formed.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN A. MoDONALD.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner or Patentl, Washington, I). G. 

